Secret
by canofsprites
Summary: Why did the world have to change? How do you survive? In a Post Apocalyptic world, Annabeth and Piper meet and try to fend for themselves before finding themselves in grave danger.


Rating: T for safety.

Timeline and Other: After PJO, but before HoO. Demigods do not exist.  
Painting in** Piper**: .

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I only own my writing. Yes, I know, Piper isn't helpless, I just wanted a her to be for a little bit.

* * *

**Annabeth**

It all happened at once. I was 7 when it all started. They said it was just the world changing, but even a fool would know what was really happening. The sun was going out, the Earth was drifting farther and farther every day. That wasn't all that was happening. There were earthquakes, volcanoes erupted, tornadoes, tsunamis, disease spread, and the sea rose. It wasn't just in America, it was everywhere. People began to starve, commit suicide, or even worse, converted to cannibalism. Since the sun was farther, the plants died, then the animals.

I haven't seen my family in years. When everything started to change, my step mother decided to commit suicide, along with my little half brothers. My dad had died of the sweating sickness a year before. My boyfriend, well he was my boyfriend, went missing. His name was Percy, just in case you wanted to know. Few people were left in this damned world, I would guess only a couple thousand left, and even less weren't killers. I wasn't going to resort to such drastic measures, I could search abandoned homes and shelters for old cans, and other weapons.

That's exactly what I was doing, searching for food. I had found this old cabin a couple minutes ago, I decided it was safe to go in after a round check. I had to break down the door to get in. I found a can of beans earlier, it was banged up, but still good. I haven't eaten much lately, there hasn't been many opportunities for scavenging.  
Annabeth searched, she made minimal amounts of noise, just as a precaution. She rummaged through an old cupboard. Even though she had the beans, it was a small can, she could easily wrap her entire hand around it.

There was a sharp bang, it sounded like tin. Something fell, and she wasn't the one who dropped it. She reached for her knife, and held onto its handle, her knuckles went white. She had a strange feeling, kinda like when you feel like someone is watching you, but you see no one. She started to walk around, her knife poised to harm. There was a creak on the wood, then silence. She stopped, and a voice spoke out.

"I'm no harm, please drop your weapon. I only ask for help." said a voice from the darkness.

Annabeth had the sudden urge to set down her weapon and have a nice long chat.

"Where are you?" Annabeth murmured. She didn't know what this girl wanted, but hopefully she wouldn't attempt to kill her.

"Please, I just want help, a partnership if I can achieve one." This unknown girl was kinda getting on Annabeth's nerves, she wouldn't show her face and the pleas for help where gonna be tough to fulfill.

"Come out, and then we'll see what we can do. No funny business." Annabeth wouldn't let her guard down, the moment she did would be the moment she attacked.

A face emerged from the darkness._ She's beautiful_. She seemed to have attempted to play down her looks, the key word is attempted. She was tan with choppy brown hair. Her eyes would change colors, one moment green, then blue, then brown, they were wonderful. She was covered in scars, she must of been through a lot, but hell, we all have. She had a long thin dagger on her hip.

"I'm Piper, I've been following you for a while now. Not to seem like a creeper or anything, its just you never really find people who don't want to skin you alive anymore."

Piper was right, with the world changing, and food sources depleting, people were just becoming savages. Piper sat down on a wooden chair next to her, she looked up at Annabeth, and looked back to the chair in front of her. Annabeth was reluctant to sit, she just felt she had no choice.

"Annabeth, what do you want?"Annabeth knew that that may of came off a bit rude, but not many people still had manners, so why should she care.

"Food, shelter, and a partner. You seem to be getting off well, and with us together, we can get twice as much resources, and better chances against enemies."

There was sense in this, but Annabeth didn't want to admit it. She didn't trust the girl, and she didn't know if she'd try to kill her in her sleep or not. The girl seemed kind, but she could just be a really good actress and have her way with Annabeth.

"How do I fit into your needs?" Annabeth knew the answer, but she just had to hear her say the words.

"You need help and I need help. We can assist each other, easy as that. I have some food, you have some too. We can both fight. We can find shelter together." Piper did have much reason, almost as much as Annabeth.

"The real question is, how do you fit in my plans? Because, I never wanted to spoon feed another person on my trip." Annabeth looked like she was about to rip out all of her teeth due to annoyance.

"What are your plans? I'm sure I can find a way to squeeze in there." Piper must've really needed help. She could see she needed medical help, her arm was wrapped in old bandages. But the ting as, Piper looked like she wouldn't take shit from anyone, and that's what Annabeth saw they had in common.

"I'm heading west, maybe it'l be warmer over there. Everyone will freeze to death if they stay here." There was options, many options, but dying from frost bite in New York was not one of them.

"Then I will go with you on your journey. We stay by each others must do what we have to to survive." Piper said taking out two green apples and a flip knife, and handed one to Annabeth.

She took the apple with a silent thanks and bit into it, she watched as Piper drew a thin line into the apple and started to skin the apple. Piper noticed her staring, "I like to eat the peel separately. It has a different flavor to it." Annabeth gave a silent nod as she bit into her apple.

"So how'd you find me in the first place?"

"I found your tracks a while back, your'e not as stealthy as you think... I saw you take out those guys back there, you're good." Piper said with a side smile, you could tell the smile wasn't fake, it was evident in her eyes. Something about that smile told Annabeth that she could take her along and she wouldn't be lugging dead weight. Plus, who can deny a pretty girl?

"Hm... We leave in the morning. Help me lock all the doors, and cover the windows. We stay in separate bedrooms for the night."

* * *

**Piper**

Morning came too fast for her liking. The light streamed through the blinds, lighting the room with a slight orange tint. She slowly sat up, and stretched her arms up above her head with a loud yawn. Piper got off the bed, swinging her legs off the bed in one quick motion. She walked down the hall to Annabeth's room, passing framed pictures on her way there. There was one picture that stood out to Piper, it was of a war scene, a woman stood at the top of the pile of bodies, she had the french flag in one hand and a bayoneted musket in the other.

"Viva La Vida... Live the Life, but that was just its nickname, it was really named _Liberty Leading The People_ it was painted by Eugène Delacroix in 1830. It was a picture of the French Revolution, or at least that's what the woman represents." said a groggy voice from behind her.

Piper whipped around to see Annabeth leaning against a door, she had one hand rubbing her belly, and the other scratching her head, well, it was more of a rat's nest. She was wearing what must of been a large white t-shirt and socks. Her clothes were covered in dirt.

"Come on, get ready, we're leaving in 5 minutes." and with that Annabeth turned around walking back to her bed room.

* * *

Annabeth was sitting in the kitchen when Piper was ready to leave. She was fiddling with an old rusty wire, twirling it in between her fingers. She had the same clothes on that she was wearing yesterday.

"Finally," she said with an exasperated sigh "let's go."

* * *

It was a couple hours later when it happened. We found this huge mansion, and I mean huge. Annabeth seemed a little excited from the sight of it. Piper remembered her saying that she wanted to go into architecture as a kid, that walls gave her a sense of security. We had went inside, there was an abundance of food and other supplies. What really set Piper and Annabeth was one of the rooms. There was a huge pile of shoes in it, varying sizes and colors, from children shoes to hiking boots. It reminded Piper of an old Holocaust Museum, the Nazis threw all the shoes of the prisoners in a large room, the pile was _huge_.

"We need to leave. Something doesn't feel right, we shouldn't be here." Annabeth spoke in a whisper, as if someone else was in the mansion.

"I know, but one more minute, maybe we can find some other stuff."

"Are you an idiot?! You agree with me on leaving, yet you want to stay longer." Annabeth said staring at Piper, her eyes sent daggers at Piper.

"We can hurry. Five minutes, I promise. Plus, we can see if they have a gun or medicine." It was like a light went off in Annabeth's head that made her agree.

"Fine. You check the bedrooms, I'll check the bathrooms. Stay quiet, we don't know what's up with this place." Annabeth said turning around toward what the large bathroom.

The shoe room was a bit too creepy for Piper's liking, so she decided to skip it and go onto the room next to it. It had brown walls with green trim, and only a large couch in the room. There was a large rug on the floor, but what really made Piper curious was the bump coming from underneath it. She slowly lifted the rug, only to see a large padlock. She moved the entire rug, there was a large square cut into the wood flooring.

"Annabeth, you should come see this." Piper said. They could use something to pry it open.

"What is it?... Holy shit." Annabeth said walking into the room with a small bottle of ibuprofen she was stuffing into her knapsack.

"Wanna help me open it?" Piper knew she had a stupid smile on her face.

Annabeth thought for a second, she finally spoke, "Fine, but we leave after this. I don't want to stay too long. There's a crowbar in another room, I'll go get it." and with that Annabeth left only to reappear a couple seconds later with a large crowbar. She put one of the ends underneath the lock and lowered the crowbar until with a snap, the padlock ring had broken in half.

They slowly lifted the wood, and took a peek underneath, we both couldn't see anything, it was too dark inside. We lifted the wood a little higher, to let some light in, and that's when it happened. People came rushing towards the floor door, they were skinny, and most had cuts of their "meat" missing. Piper and Annabeth put all their weight on the floor boards, laying down on it.

"PIPER, GET THE COUCH!" Annabeth screamed, her voice cracking at the end.

Piper quickly ran to the couch, she started pushing the couch towards the direction of the floor door. She saw the door rising, Annabeth wasn't heavy enough to weigh it down. Piper continued pushing faster and faster until it got on top of the boards, trapping the people inside.

"We need to leave now. Grab your stuff, we're leaving." Annabeth said, she was out of breath.

"Right behind you." Piper knew they had to leave, and now she regrets ever saying they should of stayed longer in the first place.

They got up and grabbed their stuff, then a door opened, and they weren't the ones to open it. Whoever owned this house was home and ready for lunch. Piper grabbed Annabeth's hand and dragger her to the bathroom, there was a small window they could climb out of. Piper threw her bag out the window, and Annabeth the same.

"You first." Piper whispered, and she knew if she and Annabeth weren't out quickly, it was more than likely that Piper was going to be captured by a Hannibal Lecter imposter, but it was better her than Annabeth.

Piper started climbing out of the window, lowering herself slowly from the wall. Then she heard it, "Dave! Someone was here, they found our food stash!"

"Well, let's find them and_ invite_ them for dinner."


End file.
